So I’ve been thinking of trying alternate-day fasting. Maybe it’s similar to a 24-hour fast? I want to do days in between with nothing but water but I was wondering if anyone else has tried that and seen results? Was it hard or did you notice any cons?
I want to do it for overall weight loss and to reset my palette/body with more healthy foods.
I just started ADF today!
36 hour fast, 12 hour eating window.
I’m allowing myself to eat <500 calories + electrolyte drinks during my fasting day though for the first few weeks as I adjust.
I live a sedentary lifestyle due to some health issues so I find that longer fasts 20hr+ allow my body to actually digest the food and help me feel better overall. Plus I’m overweight so I definitely don’t need the fuel consumption (food) every single day.
I sorta do twice per week. So Tuesday’s and Thursday’s I just don’t eat. It has helped a lot with weight loss. If I’m smart I try to do keto on wednesdays since I can’t do it all the times and that helps
On my second try at ADF. The first attempt was full of failures. I took a 3wk break and returned to once/wk 40-48 hr, then gave ADF another shot. 10 days in and I’m very encouraged.
My schedule isn’t strictly “ADF”, but it’s close and more workable. Staring w/ Sunday:
Sun 16/8, 2200 cal max, keto. Stop eating \~1800. Resistance w/o
Mon/Wed/Fri fast. Brisk walk/jog or elliptical 1 hr. (Note that my “fast” days incl. \~20g of fermented suaerkraut, 5-10g cacao powder, 1 tbsp cream + 3 tbsp coconut milk. All told \~100-120 cal, no measurable effect on blood glucose or ketosis.)
Tues/Thurs 18/6, 1800 cal keto. Resistance w/o
Saturday 20/4, up to 100g net carbs, 2200 cal max. No planned w/o
All four eating days 200g protein/day
So 3 days fasted, total calories for week: 10200
Best part: planning/prep are super easy, and as w/ all fasting SO MUCH extra time.
Yep, I did a version of that. I fasted the whole day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Tuesday and Thursday I ate clean. Salads, Panera bread, etc.
Weekends, I ate what everyone else was having.
I went to the gym 5 days a week.
Worked out great! Lost almost 60 pounds in like 4 months.
I have been doing 24h on MONs, WEDs and FRIs for the last 3 month now. I am not trying to loose weight so it is difficult to measure results. but I can say that it is very confortable to do (no need for electrolytes, etc).
Just started a version of ADF this week (3x42), after a month of 23:1 OMAD. It hasn’t been too tough of a transition since I was so comfortable with OMAD.
I’ll fast on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday- no calories, only water and black coffee and plain tea. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday I plan to eat up to 1500 calories in a 4-6 hour window. Haven’t decided what I’ll do on Sunday yet but whatever my eating window is, I will plan to consume around 1500 calories again.
I’ve tried ADF before and really didn’t get much out of it. Tbh I don’t see any weight loss benefits unless I do a minimum of 3 days, but YMMV. I weigh 180 and am trying to get down to 170, so if you have a larger gap between your CW and GW you’ll likely see better benefits from ADF.
Any type of fasting is great.
Fasting is a great gift we have and it’s also flexible. You can do one anytime for any length of time.
I recommend a 120 hour of water only fast. The longer you stay in ketosis the better the benefits will be, mentally, cognitively, emotionally and of course physically and spiritually.
Use Listerine sprays to kill hunger cravings.
I’ve been doing 44:4s and I’ve found it pretty simple, been losing weight consistently and it’s been easier to stick to than when I was doing 22:2. I think after a bit I’ll scale up to 66:6. Just love the repeating numbers lol.
The first day of an extended fast is always the hardest day for me. Alternate day would be like having that hardest day every other day. So I do nine day fasts once a season (every 3 months) and regular 16/8 lo-carb the rest of the time
It works great for some people, but it did nothing for me. My weight stayed the same even though I ate one calorie restricted meal on my non-fasting days. I had less than 10 pounds to lose when I started. I did weekly 3 day fasts instead, and the weight melted off, even though my total weekly calories were a lot higher than they were on ADF.
Everybody is different, and you should give it a try and see if it works for you.
I do it when schedule allows. Great way to save money and time, and wake up feeling lighter and more energetic. I don’t lose weight by ADF, though, because I naturally want to have more on non-fasting days. Don’t expect weight loss unless you restrict on non-fasting days.
The first 24 hours is a killer for me. You’d be better off doing a 7 day fast then go on to do OMAD from then on. I lost 100 ibs doing this about 5 years ago. I need to fast again as I’m sick and the meds don’t work.
I fast Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. The only part that is a bit sucky is between 5pm and 8pm when I’m used to eating and especially snacking while winding down. Been doing it for over two months. I’m definitely into the habit but I have to adjust my food choices on feed days because it seems I’m making up for my fast a little too much. Once I open the gateway to eating all hell breaks loose lol
Been doing it now for a couple months. Gone from 225 lbs -> 210 lbs. It’s tough at first, but gets easier. Started out doing 24 hour fasts -> 500 cal meal -> 12 hour fast, but was unsatisfied with the rate of weight loss. So now I do a straight 36 hour fast, however, I’ll do a 24 hour fast if I’m feeling particularly hungry.
There’s no doubt about it, it’s unpleasant, especially in the evening of the fasting day. But it’s effective.
im very thin and i want to start doing this soon, it looks to be difficult cuz i would have to eat light healthy food but enough calories and minerals vitamins for 2 days worth not sure if tsi sustainable long term or what doctor should suprevise it if any …